Miscellaneous
by DoubleCaramel
Summary: A bit of this and a little of that. For the HPFC Forum Wide Competition & other challenges. Each stands alone in its own universe. - Some are being revised for SP&G -
1. How Strange

**- **For the 'Forum Wide Competition' at the HPFC Forum.

**House:** Ravenclaw

**Pairing:** Pansy Parkinson/Ron Weasley

* * *

_**How strange**_

_You know I think it's strange_

_Just a little bit deranged_

_That you think I'll change to make you happy_

**Lyrics © Emily Autumn**

**-x-  
**

"You expect _me_ to change how I am, because _I'm _not adequate?"

They were both upset, yet she managed to stay calm and collected, while he simply didn't.

She watched him run a hand trough his hair impatiently. _Typical Gryffindor attitude_ – messing around with the hair instead of getting to the point. In her opinion, their stupidity was often mistaken for 'courage' and they weren't all that worthy of their reputation.

Sure, he was handsome - and rather cute too - she gave him that, but he obviously didn't understand that she was not like the rest of the delusional women crumpled up in the kitchen. She would not slave away while the 'men' (more like hormonal boys) got to play Quidditch in the background.

She agreed that the sport was distasteful – and she would not, in a million years, wish to mount a broom and fly aimlessly while tangling her hair into impossible knots and getting a sun burn – however, she did not wish to wash dirty plates (that didn't belong to her) when she was a guest either.

She ought to have known visiting his family would be far away from a fairy-tale. She'd never believed in true love. True love couldn't exist, because neither did perfect people. Only insane Hufflepuffs or hot-headed Gryffindors believed that there could be someone ideal for everyone.

Yet, when the boy who'd cracked her little stone heart (a reputation she'd earned because thirteen-year-olds were jealous, and lacked creativity) with candy from _Honeydukes_ and lame jokes told her he wanted to introduce her to his family, she actually thought they'd accept her. Or at least try to, because, weren't poor people supposed to love _everyone_?

Instead, all she got were glares (prejudiced old-coots) and tasks given by his mother (who obviously had issues with letting the boys go). She'd stopped rasping dirt from a plate when her nail broke (her newly manicured nail), but instead of understanding her dilemma _what's-her-name _(it's not as if the middle-aged woman knew her name either) told Ron to come and scold her.

_Ridiculous. _At first she was quite sure he'd just kiss her in some secluded room instead of lecturing her about her manners (_Please,_ she knew how to greet people in five different languages), but of course she was wrong. He was a Mummy's boy.

Just like Draco (why did she always pick _those_?), but unlike Ginny she would not go out of her way to please _what's-her-name_ like the younger girl did with Aunty Cissa. The redhead before her should like her because of what she was. A sexy, bitch-y, spoilt, rich girl - not a house-elf disguised with fancy jewellery.

"Couldn't you at least _try_?" he interrupted her thoughts, pleading.

"I did," she answered, before adding. "Until I broke a nail."

"Well, you didn't try hard enough!" he exclaimed impatiently – obviously wishing she'd just clap her hands and skip to it so that he could go play with the other boy's outside.

It was actually kind of disappointing that he was the same person who'd defended her before his best friend after the later made the old and wasted comments about the shape of her nose (the busy-haired girl – Hermion-_ninny_ - was obviously jealous that she wasn't as cute.)

"I don't remember scolding you after you ruined Mother's dress," she spit out venomously eyeing the freckled (and now hesitant) face.

"It's not the same," he countered.

She closed her eyes – this wasn't even funny anymore. Except if one believed that Ron actually thought she'd change her 'manners' for him and his rude, obnoxious, noisy family.

"Yes it is," she said slowly. "It is, and you ought to be deranged to believe I ever change for the likes of you," she added before exciting the messy room and heading outside, ignoring everyone else. She saw the youngest Weasley lower her face, disappointed.

What Ginny didn't understand was that she could change all she wanted for Malfoy (swap her nickname for Ginerva, and rush around doing errands for Aunty) but Pansy Parkinson wasn't anybody's bitch.

She was free, and if true love existed she'd take a guess and say nobody had to change for it. _How strange._

_

* * *

_

Reviews are much appreciated :)

. . .

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

After several drop-outs from the challenge Tat (tat1312) asked me to take part in it. I am filling in for a Ravenclaw participant and I'll try my best to make all Claw's proud. I decided to write a more humorous piece since all the responses I had viewed so far took a more serious route. I hope you enjoyed this little piece of spoilt/rich girl Pansy, even though my response is rather literal in interpreting the lyrics. ^_~

Sorry for any cringe-worthy mistakes.

Also, thank you to SoUsay234 (Slytherin) for helping me with a general/quick SP&G check.


	2. Missing Friendship

**- **For the 'Forum Wide Competition' at the HPFC Forum.

**#6:** Write about a missing moment in a HP character's life. Must be written in first-person.

**House:** Ravenclaw

The character I chose was Leanne (a Hufflepuff in Harry's year). All we know about her is that she was Katie Bell's friend and that she witnessed her friend being cursed after she touched the necklace. I decided to expand a bit on their friendship and write Leanne's point of view of the incident.

* * *

**_Snippets of a Missing Friendship_**

**-x-**

We'd known each other since we were young girls, even before we started Hogwarts.

Our friendship started in a sweating, hot, clothes-sticking, annoying summer day. Even at eight, I preferred winter.

Mum wanted me to meet her friend and her nine-year-old daughter. Apparently she believed we would both be best friends, despite how awkward I was as a child. I remember I had my best flowery pink dress on, and on the way to the big yellow house with a white picket-fence, all I wanted was to strip and jump in the cool river next to our much more humble home. Of course, Mum didn't agree with me.

Katherine (as my mother called her) surprised me. Against all my suppositions (of her being a fancy, stuck-up brat), she looked just as desperate as me when her mother opened the door for us. Her cheeks were flustered and she looked as if she had been forced into the horrible blue dress. Of course, our mothers didn't see that.

Yet, in the end, they were right.

As children with a common goal tend to do, we united against them, deciding to pretend we were the best of friends, to make them stop bothering us and making us dress into pathetic dresses to impress each other. Together, we chatted away about how unfair our life was.

Soon, and before we noticed, we were talking about our dreams, wishing upon shooting starts, sleeping at each other's house, using nicknames, giggling about boys, and doing what real friends did.

Before we noticed, we were **Katie and Anne.**

**-x-**

**KATIE AND ANNE - Me & You**

One moment can change a lifetime.

**-x-**

"_Katie?"_

"_'Leanne, there you are! I've been waiting for you forever! Come with me, I want you to meet Fred and George. Isn't it wicked that they look exactly the same?" _

"_Yeah, __**wicked**__!"_

**-x-**

**KATIE –** You're so lame.

**LEANNE –** Am not.

**KATIE –** Are too.

**-x-**

She was my friend. Not my best friend, my reliable friend.

I forgot that for a boy. _It was all my fault_.

**-x-**

"Hey, Leanne."

Zach – my fellow Hufflepuff and lifelong crush – asked, sweeping his hair in a totally wicked, yet absent-minded way, "Do you want to go to Honeydukes?"

Instead of telling him yes, I simply blushed and mumbled, "Hmm, no. I'm waiting for Katie. She went to the restroom." _Honestly_, how much longer would she take?

Instead of being upset, Zach simply waved goodbye to me, before jogging back to meet his friends. As if the world was joking with me, Katie Bell chose that exact moment to come back.

"Hey, a little longer, and I thought you'd drowned in the toilet, " I whispered sarcastically when she reached me. Instead of burning me with a much better comeback, she remained silent, avoiding my gaze.

I noticed she had a parcel in her hand and ironically thought she had met some random boy on the way back from the loo (_who maybe even saved her from drowning_), he of course fell in love with her at first sight and handed her the parcel as a proof of his affection.

"So, who's your new conquest?" I asked. If _I_ wasn't getting too much action, I could at least live trough my famous Gryffindor Quidditch player friend. Perfecting the theory was always a good thing before zooming into practice – or so my parents told me (though I bet they didn't have snogging in mind when giving me that advice).

Instead of answering me, she ignored me.

"Katie?" I nudged her, forcing her to look at me.

"What?" she snapped. Obviously, _someone_ wasn't in a good mood.

"Who's that from?" I patiently enquired. If it was chocolate, I wanted my share. It was only fair, since she made me lose another opportunity to make Zach fall madly in love with me.

"I've got to take it to Hogwarts." Her voice – mechanical and emotionless - scared me. For the first time since she had returned, I noticed something wasn't right.

"Katie?" I urged, half-hoping she would doze off and make fun of me for falling into her stupid trick (it wouldn't be out of character). She didn't.

My anxiety grew – something definitely wasn't right. I noticed she held strongly onto the parcel.

"Hey, Katie, let me see that," I said, before gripping it and pulling it away from her. Unfortunately, I didn't succeed, for she clinched to it even harder.

"Let me see!" I repeated, curious, and worried about what was so special about it.

She was not giving up, and neither was I. We were still fighting for the brown package when it ripped open.

Inside, there was a necklace. Before I had time to ask her who it was from, or who'd given it to her, she screamed. It was piercing, sharp and wounded – it scared me shitless.

I froze.

**-x-**

**LEANNE –** Did you hear about that stupid Gryffindor kid?

**KATIE –** You'll have to be more specific, Anne.

**LEANNE –** The one who froze.

**KATIE –** When Trish fainted?

**LEANNE –** Yeah.

**I'd never do that.**

**-x-**

You never think you will freeze– but when things happen, you do. When someone faints, or your best friend is screaming at the top of her lungs, you can't do anything but stare.

Or maybe that's just me. Because I'm a Hufflepuff, and what does loyalty serve for when someone is dying?

Maybe I should've screamed – yelled for help – but I didn't think. I _couldn't_ think. All I did was stare.

Eventually help came (I can't remember who, or when; I just remember the noise and the frenzy of the snow around me) and the screaming stopped.

**-x-**

**KATIE –** If you weren't a Puffle, which house would you like to be in?

**LEANNE –** I don't know, I don't think I fit anywhere else. What about you?

**KATIE – **Hufflepuff, of course! You're just and loyal – I think I can do that too.

**LEANNE –** Sure.

**KATIE –** Hey! Don't laugh.

**LEANNE –** I just think it's very _just_ to hex Susan because she was staring at your beau.

**KATIE –** Shut up.

**-x-**

**HUFFLEPUFF**

Just, loyal, _human._

**-x-**

When I was younger, my father used to tell me logic was the key to everything. That if I tried to analyse every possibility, I would always find a solution.

But when the only possibilities were Katie living or dying, how could I not hope and pray, like a petty hypocrite for Merlin to let my best friend _live_.

"It wasn't your fault," Paul kept whispering in my ear, as I tapped my foot systematically; I didn't dare to stop. It was if it was keeping me sane while I waited.

I could feel the skin of my lower lip starting to give from my constant biting. I wanted to curl in a bed and cry myself to sleep, until someone came and told me Katie was fine.

Of course, that would be unfair and un-characteristic – Hufflepuffs were just and loyal.

But then, I wasn't too much of a Hufflepuff anyway. I'd spent my last minutes with Katy silently blaming her because I hadn't got to spend more time with a boy.

How _stupid._

"Yes it was," I whispered. My own voice scared me (it was loud, and loud things reminded me of her piercing screams). "I should have noticed something was wrong, instead of daydreaming about Zacharias Smith."

"Yeah," he answered, surprising me by his mean honesty. "But, Lee, I mean, we all make mistakes. How could you have guessed there was a cursed necklace in the parcel?"

I _couldn't._ Still, I should've done . . . something. Something more.

Paul wrapped his arm over my shoulder cautionary. I let him. I didn't really care about giving him false hopes right now. All I wanted was for Katie to wake up.

_And was it so wrong to want someone to hold me while I waited?_

**-x-**

**LEANNE –** You know, Katie, I love you lots and lots like chocolate frogs!

**KATIE – **That's so lame.

**LEANNE –** So? We're best friends.

**KATIE –** Until death do us part.

**LEANNE –** Don't joke!

**KATIE – **Sorry, sorry. I love you too.

**-x-**

It's not fair but it's human, so I cry, and he holds me.

Maybe one day, I'll stop hearing the screams.

Maybe one day, I'll laugh at all this with Katie.

**One day.**

(But, now, all I can do is _hope_.)

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Thoughts? Reviews are welcome. :)

**. . .**

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

I am a little unsure about this one. I tried to focus on the "missing moment" (what happened before Katie was cursed and why were the two friends fighting over the anonymous parcel) but I also wanted to show snippets of their friendship.

I hope this wasn't too confusing.

Also, thank you to pippi55 (Slytherin) for being my lovely and very patient Beta.


End file.
